Video has traditionally been viewed as complicated with a wide range of phrases that many don’t understand. It seems as though every day there are new terms and buzzwords being used in the video industry that make keeping up and mastering the technology very difficult at times.
With the rise of video conferencing popularity understanding some of these terms is imperative in choosing the right solution.
Here are 10 of the most common terms and their definitions:
1. Endpoint: The physical equipment or software used to make a video connection. They can be in the form of a room based system, desktop client, or a …

Social collaboration is about the casual interactions among colleagues, business partners and even customers that enable creativity and drive innovation. When an organization embraces social collaboration, interactions come alive and innovation can explode across the business!
We created the below Infographic to illustrate the power of social collaboration and the innovation that is possible when people are given the tools and environment to work together.
After you take a look at the Infographic, read our new white paper: Driving Innovation Through Social Collaboration.

Welcome to our bi-weekly recap of the week’s best articles surrounding collaboration.
1. Working Smarter: The Paradigm Shift in Business Collaboration
Great insight on how individuals embracing new collaboration tools will benefit from a more innovative, efficient, and happier workforce. In contrast to past work environments, these new disruptive forces in collaboration technologies have created new strategies for companies to implement.
2. Fufulling the promise of advanced collaboration
Although the advanced collaboration technologies emerging in our market today are increasing productivity, there have been many IT challenges along the way. One of the most difficult hurdles for implementing these tools is the lack of …

American Telemedicine Association’s policy duo, Jonathan Linkous, CEO, and Gary Capistrant, Senior Director of Public Policy, return with updates and new information regarding telemedicine.
Congress
In the wake of the Government shutdown, Congress continues to debate several different legislative proposals and provisions. One aspect involves the repeal of the medical device tax which charges a 2.3% tax on all medical devices; including some telemedicine components. The provision to repeal this tax is on the table; however, Capistrant says while this is possible it is not probable.
Bill HR 3077 was introduced by Congressmen Devin Nunez and Frank Pallone to allow providers with one …

Advancements in video technology have had a tremendous impact on the creation and proliferation of distance learning programs. By integrating video conferencing solutions, universities are able to extend the reach of their programs to students who otherwise wouldn’t be able to attend. Calvin Hughes, Instructional Technologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, talks about his experience with video conferencing and the impact it has had on the University.
IVCi: Can you give us a brief overview of your video environment?
CH: We currently have 5 classrooms that hook up locally at the College of Dentistry. There are also 6 or 7 …

As stated in Part 1 of this series, when choosing to deploy a mobile video strategy, having a plan of attack is of utmost importance. The first step was defining the video environment to determine what is necessary for a successful implementation. The second step in developing a mobile video strategy is to assess different aspects of the organization’s network environment. This focuses on the following key areas:
Office Network
Remote Network
Infrastructure
Platform Consideration
Active Directory Integration
Specifically, this means that attention needs to be paid to an office’s wireless network configuration, remote network essentials, defined software platforms, necessary infrastructure, and determination of active directory …

Video conferencing is slowly emerging in the retail banking sector as a way to meet growing customer expectations and combat declining foot traffic in branch locations. There are so many things customers can now do online that they don’t even need to go to a bank. Checking account balances, transferring money between accounts and even paying bills can be done with a few simple clicks on a bank’s website.
As a result, banks need to find new ways to interact with their customers. International financial research and consulting firm, Celent, recently released the report Video Banking: Lights, Camera, Transactions?, discussing how …

When it comes to understanding how collaboration services are delivered, there is much discussion surrounding cloud-based options versus on-premise and everything in between. The language used to describe the design of these services can be somewhat confusing and many of the terms are often used in the wrong way to make understanding them every more challenging!
Let’s start by discussing cloud services themselves.
What is a Cloud Service?
A cloud service is basically any service or resource that is delivered via the internet or other remote network. There are several classifications of cloud services, including:
Software as a Service (SaaS): These services deliver software …

Welcome to our bi-weekly recap of the weeks’ best articles surrounding collaboration.
1. Polycom Video Solutions help keep NATO personnel ready for the next crisis, diplomatic mission or humanitarian effort
Announcement around NATO’s decision to use Polycom’s RealPresence Platform as the backbone of their video collaboration environment. By utilizing video conferencing, NATO is hoping to streamline decision making and communication as well as reducing travel costs.
2. SPAR saves time and money with video conferencing
This post showcases UK based grocery chain SPAR, and how deploying video has saved the company both time and money. Their main use case was around their multiple executive meetings that …

For companies looking to dive in to this mobile video craze, having a solid plan of attack is very important. Not only will it help determine the technology requirements, it ensures a consistent user experience for all participants involved.
The first step in developing a mobile video strategy is to define the organization’s video environment. This focuses on determining the following key areas:
End users
Video devices & applications
Meeting types
Current video equipment
Goals & objectives
Essentially, this means organizations should outline who will be using mobile video, what devices these participants will be connecting with, what types of meetings will be conducted, and the objectives …